Hello Chris how are you?
Hey Del! I’m great thanks, just answering these after playing another Bristol show!
Tell us about What Did You Expect?
This solo project was born out of my love of punk music and my desire to have my say about the world. I’ve written songs for ages but never shared them, whilst playing in bands for over 10 years, it just seemed a logical progression. I feel like we have a duty to speak out about things that are wrong in the world and this is my way of doing it. In the words of Fat Mike (NOFX) “If you think punk rock doesn’t mix with politics, you’re wrong.”
You have the release of your second EP. What’s the writing process been like for it?
There really hasn’t been much of a writing process, I just continuously write lyrics and eventually some of it turns into songs, and the best of those end up getting released. I’ve actually already got all the songs for the record after this demo’d out!
The new EP is recorded acoustically, as compared to electric guitars and drums, what influenced that decision?
Since releasing my first EP “Grow(ing) Up”, I’ve played a whole bunch of shows. As a solo artist these have always been acoustic and I just really wanted to put something out that attempts to capture the energy and anger of me playing live.
Your first EP covered a lot of topics from British politics to equal rights. Was there one song for you that was the catalyst for the rest?
There’s no one song that prompted the others really, I’m constantly finding new material to write about. The state of the world today and social and political issues that come with it give me more than enough things to write about. I grew up listening to The Clash, NOFX, Bad Religion, etc… Using songs to make social commentary has always been something that seemed obvious to me.
You are a drummer, what drummers did you look up to when you started?
Aha, I haven’t played drums in what feels like forever, although that’s changing soon, one of my other projects (She Bit Me First) will be releasing an EP soon, I have a few shows with The Drunken Ramblings coming up, and The Shapers are always looking at where to tour next. In terms of who I looked up to, it’s a two-part thing; the drummer that made me want to play drums is Travis Barker (Blink-182, Transplants, +44, Box Car Racer, amongst many others), but when i really started playing more and eventually went on to study drums st university I really started getting into people like Benny Greb, Stewart Copeland, Jeff Porcaro, Bernard Purdie…
You have embarked on tours in the past taking you all over the world, what’s been your most memorable experience?
Probably touring Asia these past two years, there were some shows where the crowd was too large for the room and we had people moshing on stage. I’ll always remember having like 10-20 teenagers jumping around the kit. That and hearing people screaming lyrics back at you are definitely amongst the most memorable ones.
What equipment do you use?
I’m pretty basic when it comes to gear, I picked up my electro-acoustic guitar (Sigma 000MC-1STE if anyone wants to know) second hand about a year and a half ago for this project and ever since have just added more and more stickers to it! Give me a plectrum and I’m good to go. That’s pretty much it.
What bands are you listening to at the moment?
The Lawrence Arms, The Clash, Anti-Flag, Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Lagwagon, Strung Out, The Menstrual Cramps, amongst many others…
Your style is predominantly punk, what music would surprise people that you like?
I actually listen to a fair amount of rap/hip-hop, but am really picky about it. I’m really digging Chris Webby recently, love Eminem, a bit of The Roots, some old Dr Dre. Also listen to a lot of acoustic stuff generally.
Your new EP has been inspired by the goings on of the current world political climate, have you ever thought about running for prime minister?
Haha, some of the teachers at uni used to say I should go into politics. Although that would probably be a train wreck, but I guess it couldn’t really be much worse than it already is.
What’s your plan for the next year?
Ideally, just play a ton more shows and continue to expand my audience. I would also love to get into the studio and record EP #3 at some point in the next year!
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